I love an academic romance, particularly those who love books. It was a slow burn but wasn’t one that felt frustrating to read, it felt purposeful and made me want more. It made me deeply invested in their career struggles and everything else about them. Both characters have such unique voices that it’s easy to see why they’ve been academic rivals for so long—and just as easy to believe how they ended up falling for each other.

My only two issues were that I wanted more of the background characters, I got so invested in them and wanted their own ends. Would be cool if Jodi was to write future books about them, like a standalone interconnected vibe. Also, the big fight that Sadie and Chess had, it felt too over the top and blown out of proportion. Particularly for the fact they didn’t talk for so long after it, but Sadie was so sad. No one would sit on that for 7 months before doing something. I was so happy with how this ended though.

Overall, an amazing read particularly due to my love for academic rivals to lovers. There was so much packed in, but I was never bored.

I'll be honest, this book took me a long time to get into. I understand the logic of the two main characters being highly intellectual, but the writing itself became a bit clunky and convoluted with the continuous drops of words I'd never heard of (and I'm a good reader and whilst not overly a genius, have a good vocab) that meant i needed to stop and continuously search for the meaning of words, which to me just tried to show an air of superiority from the author that I don't necessarily felt like matched the content of the book, but who am I to judge that. That left me with a frustrated taste in my mouth to begin with that I had a hard time getting over.

That aside, however, I enjoyed the characters budding relationship, as I'm a sucker for the 'he falls first, and hard, for a long time before'. The journey we took with Jonah and Sadie was emotional, full of turmoil and angst (I'm so here for that), and early frustration with the writing aside, I'd take again. There was, however, point I was more invested in the background/side characters storylines then the main characters.

What a sweet romance!
Sadie and Jonah are academics who have been going head to head for 15 years.
After they both apply for the same job, Sadie proposes a deal with Jonah.
I simply adored reading how Jonah realised he was in love with Sadie, and how she, too, finally worked out that she needed him as more than just a sparring partner.
I loved how this book was self-reflective in a lot of ways. The footnotes – thank you, Jonah – were a fun little addition.
I would absolutely recommend this if you love a romcom.
<spoiler>This book does not contain a third act breakup.</spoiler>

rating: 4.5 stars

The way my respect for people trying to pursue an academic career skyrocketed after this was unbelievable. In the words of olivia rodrigo, "it's brutal out here"

I was a bit skeptical about this book - for one, it had my roman empires which are academic rivals to lovers and reluctant allies but on the other hand, it also had marriage of convenience and fake "dating" which are reallllyyy a hit or miss for me. But Jodi was able to spin these tropes into something new and fresh, especially in an academic setting. I genuinely had so much fun reading this.

It also helps the Jodi is an actual academic?? (per her acknowledgement section) and a lot of the issues the book talks about, either she had experience or a friend had - and I believe that added a level of authenticity to the plot and opened my eyes to the way the higher level education system is corrupt and biased (like GIRL I WAS READY TO THROW HANDS LEFT RIGHT CENTER)

Also the amount of literary references was so good, i actually learnt so much things - did you know that there's a term for writing in the margins of your book? it's called "marginalia".

ok this isn't a hear me out but a hold me back because the way i would fold for jonah? i really cant survive an enemies to lovers. I love their banter because it was actually rooted in literary debate and it was so so so fun to read - the popcorn was out and ready everytime they interacted.

the romance i felt like was fairly well paced because the foundations of their relationship was already there - sadie and jonah met in undergrad and as they pursued similar careers in literature, a lot of their interactions made sense and plot just builds on that. I hate it when chemistry between two characters feel forced and I'm so happy sadie and jonah didn't suffer from that.

One thing i didn't really understand though and i wish the book went into more is the subplot with Chess (the older sister) - like the sudden 180 in her character and dynamic with sadie gave me whiplash. But at least it added depth to sadie's character?

ALSO the footnotes?? YES THERE'S FOOTNOTES (because get it, they're academics? lmao). Like Jodi did not need to go hard with them, they added so much comedy and heart to the plot and also a creative way of letting the readers in on the world and characters.

i really can't stress it enough - this is just a fun read and i literally bought a physical copy just so i can make my own marginalia (see what i did there? i hope i used it right haha)

p.s this has my fave confession scene of all time

Thank you Simon & Schuster (Australia) , Atria Australia and Netgalley for giving me a digital copy of this book!!

In An Academic Affair Jodi McAllister has written a cracking good enemies to lovers/arranged marriage romance. I loved Jonah with his extreme short-sightedness, floppy fringe and aversion to his entitled family. He’s a complex character, with a massive guilt complex over the way he treated his sister in the past and a long-standing secret love for his nemisis, Sadie Shaw. As this story opens, these two have been at war for fifteen years, constantly striving to be better and achieve more than each other. Sadie could not have had a more different upbringing to Jonah, whom she considers an entitled prat coasting through life on his family’s money and courtesy of his father’s academic role at their university. She was raised by her sister after her mother died and ehr father took off and she knows the meaning of struggling. When they end up in the same share-house, we see that despite their differences, there is a spark of attraction and as the story unfolds it’s clear there’s more than that, though neither of them will admit to it poublicly. I loved Sadie’s compassion for Jonah after she finally beat him to securing a permanent university position, and the way they used their animosity to create vibrant lectures for their students. I also loved the role their sisters played in this story. An Academic Affair sheds an unflattering light on the institutional side of universities and while it might be fiction, I susect there’s a shred of truth in there. It makes for an interesting backdrop for this unikely and thoroughly entertaining romance.

An easy read that I really enjoyed. It ended a bit abruptly for me, but I'm looking forward to future books about some of the other characters.

4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster (Australia) / Atria Australia for an advance reader e-copy.

There were so many aspects of this book that should’ve made this a much higher rated read for me: a book about books, academics rivals (and hence rivals-to-lovers), academia in general, marriage of convenience/fake dating, forced proximity… but I think I just didn’t gel well with McAlister’s writing style.

I loved the premise of this book, but I think this being my first taste of McAlister’s adult writing (I’ve only read her YA trilogy prior), I just felt perhaps a bit disjointed.

“An Academic Affair” is a fun rom-com with serious underpinnings. I enjoyed it a great deal, both for the romance and for the glimpses of academic life.

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have long been competing – first for the same academic scores and honors, and now for the same jobs. They’re each others’ nemesis’ and it shows in the constant sniping, backbiting, and gloating.

But when one of them wins a coveted job, and the loss looks like it will devastate the other’s life, they come up with a plan that might just save them both. The trouble is, they’ll have to act like they like – and even love – each other. Can they do it?

Romance fans will notice some familiar frameworks here, notably forced proximity and enemies to lovers. McAlister is clearly having some fun playing with the tropes of the romantic genre and the sense of fun is shared with the reader.

The dialogue is smart and snappy, and the literary references are either explained or pitched at a level which won’t make readers feel dumb. As a reader and past literary student I got a bit of extra pleasure out of this element, but it’s accessible to casual readers.

McAlister references (see what I did there) the academic world with her use of footnotes. This is a technique that can quickly get annoying, but McAlister uses it heavily for a couple of chapters, then reduces the frequency. The result is that this stays fun and amusing while being a wink to the larger world of the characters.

McAlister’s previous three books were all set in the world of a reality dating show, revisiting the same season from different points of view. I enjoyed that immensely – it was both fun and interesting, and layered a bit more depth on with each novel. It’s pretty clear she could do the same here – the setting is expansive enough to take more stories, and several secondary characters seemed ripe for their own stories. I’m sure I won’t be the only reader to hope she revisits the world of “An Academic Affair”.

This is a mostly light-hearted and enjoyable romantic comedy. It’s easy to read, and the overwhelming feeling is “that was fun!”. Highly recommended for romance readers or those just looking for a bit of fun.

DNF 73% Unfortunately I struggled getting through this. There were aspects I liked - the writing style and the MMC, but I felt the romantic tension was lacking and one sided and I didn’t like the MFC. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals since they first crossed paths as undergraduates in the literature department thirteen years ago. Yet when a highly coveted teaching opportunity comes up in Tasmania, they find themselves contemplating the other. Jonah needs the job to move closer to his recently divorced sister and her children, while Sadie needs the financial security and freedom of a full-time teaching position. So Sadie, who has a ‘soft spot’ for sisters, proposes that she and Jonah marry, as the job offers partner hire. For Sadie, it is a win-win solution, but soon their feelings become transparent. Despite being clever with words, neither of them can convey their feelings for each other until the university throws them into a situation where they must fit to stay together.
I really loved this story, and the character development of Sadie and Jonah as they progressed through the years was so sweet and volatile. When they finally call a truce and agree to marry, Saide mellows and sees Jonah for who he truly is. I thought it was so sweet how Jonah was so in love with her but respected her too much to push the boundaries. My only criticism is that the story ended too quickly, but I wonder if that was tied to the possibility of additional books in a series centering around Sadie’s sister and also Jonah’s two siblings.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

If you're looking read more Australian romances I got you!

I'm a little late in reviewing this one but thank you to Atria Books Australia, Simon & Schuster Australia, Jodi McAlister and Netgalley for this arc.

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals for 15 years, locked in a fierce rivalry that spans assessments degrees and academic positions, most while living in the same share house. When a dream role at a Hobart university opens up, Sadie finally edges out Jonah for the role. But when unexpected family complications arise for him, Sadie proposes they take advantage of the job’s partner hire clause. Cue the fake marriage trope!

I adored this book. The fake marriage trope was perfectly executed and it genuinely made me laugh out loud. But this story also has its beautiful and heartbreaking family moments. Jonah and Sadie's banter is excellent, and their chemistry? Top. Tier. The idyllic hobart setting and academic backdrop made for such an enjoyable read.

The footnotes were very on brand, but I did find them a little clunky to navigate on an e-reader. I imagine in paperback it would feel much smoother.

Bonus points to Jodi for including nods to BK Borison, Talia Hibbert and Hamilton 😍

4.5⭐

Tropes & Setting:
📚 Enemies to lovers
🍷 Workplace rivals
📚 Marriage of convenience
🍷 University/academic setting
📚 Forced proximity
🍷 Slow burn
📚 Dual POV

Might already be thinking about Chessie, Elias and Fiona’s stories

An Academic Affair
Jodi McAlister

‘It's hard to fight a battle when your enemy is amorphous, nameless, faceless. You can't defeat something you can't see.’

This was a fun and charming romance about two English professors who embark on a fake relationship only to discover that it may be harder to pretend than they realized.

‘The lenses in my glasses are about eight feet thick, Sadie, I wanted to say. Do you really think I could copy your homework from this distance?’

Sadie Shaw and Jonah Fisher have been academic rivals for almost fifteen years. When a highly coveted teaching opportunity with secure job prospects comes up, their rivalry hits epic proportions.

'This is going to sound insane,' I said, 'but I was wondering if you'd like to marry me.'

The real kicker though is there’s a contractual clause in the employment contract for partner hire. And yes this just got really interesting!

‘The basic governing principle of narrative was causation. It wasn't X happened then Y happened - it was Y happened because X happened.’

I loved reading this and enjoyed all the academic and book lover tropes and stereotypes thrown in. The fact that this book is set in Australia made it even more enjoyable to me and so relatable.

'I thought... I thought ... I've got a fucking PhD in English and I read everything all wrong!'

There’s dual narration and sub plots that are equally as compelling but the real star is always going to be the rivals to lovers storyline. Fun banter thrown in is always appreciated.

(Review posted 10th June).

This book was amazing!
It was a mix of rivals to lovers, marriage of convenience, forced proximity and a long slow burn that pays off!
It had me hooked from the beginning and then when I saw the footnotes I was so sold!

The chemistry that @jodimcalister built between the two main characters Sadie and Jonah was amazing and really built the story.

Thanks to @netgalley and @simonschusterau for access to the ARC!

An Academic Affair is a fun dual-point-of-view rom-com set in the academic world, focussing on Sadie and Jonah - academic rivals.

Set mainly in Tasmania, Australia, it has many themes including the competitiveness of university life, competitiveness within families, fake marriage, relationships with family. As the story progresses we learn more about the relationships Sadie and Jonah have with their families. Sadie with her elder sister Chess and Jonah with his Professor father and his brother and sister. I loved this part of the story. I also loved the rivalry between Jonah and Sadie and their banter and the footnotes added some extra fun to the story. Overall it was a great feel good book.

Cute enemies to lovers in a academic setting, set in Australia which is also lovely. I loved the pace of the book and that the writing was easy to read. I loved jonahs narration on their truces

Charming book full of all my favourite tropes. Love that it was set in Australia, in the world of academia. Great, easy quick read. Main characters were perfect for each other and had fun banter.

Jonah and Sadie have been arguing for years. All the way through undergrad and into their postgraduate degrees and even past their PhD’s - their debates have never ceased. They even begin to centre their lecturing round their combative discussion styles. But when a rare job in their field comes up in Tasmania and Sadie gets it, a provision for partner hire in the contract leads her to invite her nemesis along too.

The clue is in the title, but what you wouldn’t guess about this contemporary romance about academic rivals falling for each other is how much you’re going to learn about the absolutely heinous state of tertiary employment in this country. McAlister - a long-time academic herself - plumbs her own depth of experience in the hellscape of casual jobbing and competitive Thunderdome that permanent University roles inspire. Using this for the foundation of a well-loved trope, that of the marriage of convenience, was not only clever but happily believable.

I loved so much about this book - the MC’s respect for each other’s brilliance, their love of debate and having each other as a sparring partner, Jonah’s slow realisation he’s always been in love with Sadie and her own lightbulb moments along the way. There’s also the fun of forced proximity in temporary motel rooms and later their own apartment as they settle in to keep up the facade for possibly years.

Supporting the main love plot are some lovely relationships, with both Sadie and Jonah navigating challenges and conflict with their siblings, as well as working through strong feelings about their parents. I loved Sadie’s sister and Jonah’s brother and sister as characters and I hope they get their own book if this one is turned into a series.

Lastly: footnotes. In true academic style, McAlister’s inclusion of footnotes to the text made me smile, and I quickly came to learn that these were where Jonah wore his heart on his sleeve. Wonderful stuff!

Thanks so much to the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This book is probably going to be in my top 10 reads of the year.

It was so fun! It’s everything I love about romance.

Sadie and Jonah have known each other since their undergrad days. They’ve argued their way through almost every course they’ve ever taken together and post grad they’ve completed Ph.D’s, competed for jobs in tutoring, marking, lecturing etc and even had to lecture together where they basically framed everything as an argument. Their students ate it up. They have also lived together in a share house in Sydney for the past few years, struggling to get by on meagre and uncertain salaries. Then, a dream job comes up, in Hobart. For Jonah, this would be an opportunity to spend time with his sister, going through a separation and repair their relationship and also remove himself from the toxic influence of his Professor father. For Sadie, this is everything. She’s fought and struggled and always had to make do. Her upbringing was less than privileged and her sister had to sacrifice a lot for Sadie’s success. For Sadie this would be like saying it was all worth it. That she is something now. And her sister can live her own life, without having to support Sadie. They both apply for it, both desperately wanting it and knowing there can be only one winner. Or can there?

This is dual perspective and I loved it! Jonah’s section uses footnotes (his studies are more historically focused, Shakespeare and the early Modern dramas) and they’re amazing. Jonah’s voice is dry and funny and this is definitely a book where He Falls First, if that’s your sort of thing (it’s mine). The pining in this is kind of off the charts but Jonah is also very much of the ‘we’ll just put this away in a box and try not to think about it’ sort of mindset. Sadie and he have butted heads their whole academic lives and she fascinates him. Jonah is quiet – he had quite a privileged and wealthy upbringing and Sadie assumes a lot about him because of this. However Jonah’s not like his family, especially not like his very arrogant father, which it takes Sadie some time to figure out. For a long time, I think she saw Jonah as what she assumed he was, not what he actually was. Especially as she grew up in basically poverty and in entering academia as a profession, it’s a bonus to have some backing behind you. Permanent positions are hard to come by, many positions are underpaid and come with uncertainty, depending on the university and department’s fluctuating funding.

This is really interesting to read as someone who is currently studying a degree majoring in English literature. Sadie and Jonah both have very different focus areas and Sadie is more about pop culture and contemporary studies, which seems so interesting to me. But it comes with a serving of condescension from more ‘serious’ academics who probably think that only the classics continue to be worth studying. Except like, how do you think classics became that? They weren’t created that way. They were once popular, contemporary stories too. Or were looked down upon in their day. Sadie’s classes seem like loads of fun and when she figures out a way for them both to get jobs, they realise that the university is going to milk them for all that they have and basically dumps a bunch of classes on them that they then need to create all the content for. They can’t use lectures and notes from previous years, due to a content protection that won’t exist for them in their own employment (also an interesting point).

I love me a marriage of convenience trope especially when it comes with a serving of having to share the same bed. The tension in this is so good – from Jonah’s point of view is actual perfection. He’s so full of angst and pining over Sadie and he’s so convinced that she doesn’t feel anything for him. He’s always trying to hide things except in the few days they have to share a place before finding a place to rent, the university pays for a hotel room, that obviously has only one bed as they think Sadie and Jonah are married. Well, they are married, but it’s a marriage of convenience for a spousal hire but to the university it must look and seem real. Jonah is just a guy out here doing his best when his fake wife turns out to be a bit of a cuddler!

The thing is, these two are perfect for each other. Even though they know each other and have done for like, 15 years at this point, Jodi McAlister takes care to build the connection of them for the reader in the time they spend together at the university. It helps that they are on the back foot almost immediately, with all the content they need to hurriedly come up with meaning that they are somewhat a united front. And when the university starts shenanigans they are also united there as well. We get to see them getting to know each other on a different level, working together instead of against each other. Sadie is also getting to understand Jonah as a person, rather than just being his father’s son, or from a privileged family.

There’s some external conflict happening in this – Sadie and her sister have a very serious disagreement, possibly the first one in their lives? It creates a sense of instability for Sadie, who is used to having her sister as her confidante, cheerleader, supporter. The peripheral characters in this are excellent and I feel like there has been potential groundwork laid for spin off books from this, with Sadie’s sister and also potentially, Jonah’s siblings as well. We got some hints of Jonah’s brother’s backstory with someone which could make for interesting reading and he’s also a university academic. I’d also like to see Jonah’s sister find someone that isn’t a complete douche as well. We never actually meet her estranged husband in this but we learn enough.

Highly, highly recommend this. It was so funny (again – the footnotes! I love a book with footnotes and this one executed it perfectly), it built a wonderful romance and the university/academic background was done so well. And again, there were great secondary, supporting characters (and some not so great ones who made for being effective antagonists). I read this in eBook format but I’m definitely getting a print copy for my favourites shelf.

9/10

From the moment this book was announced, I wanted to read it. Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes, and this is set in Australia academia? Yes, please. Naturally, I dropped everything to read it as soon as I got approved for a (last minute arc).

I didn’t expect it to become one of my new comfort reads.

If it weren’t for work, I would have binged this in a single sitting. Which makes it really hard to write anything about it coherently.

There were moments that made me laugh (Jonah’s footnotes! I’m 90% certain some academia jokes that went over my head). Moments that punched me in the feels (especially the sibling relationships). Moments that made me kick my feet in delight (the YEARNING!!!).

I loved this marriage of convenience between rivals. I didn’t want it to end. I can’t wait to reread a physical copy. And I sincerely hope we get some companion novels about Sadie and Jonah’s siblings.

I love a good academic rivals to lovers and this book nails it. Especially with Jonah's little recap of their truces over the years at the very start of the book, it had me hooked! Not to mention the yearning (at least on Jonah's behalf) and slow burn between the two throughout the book. I loved how well this book also dealt with difficult families but also siblings supporting each other no matter what, it was so heartwarming.